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1,100+ People Living on a FARM-Turned-Biophilic COMMUNITY - Ep. 185
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- Äas pĆidĂĄn 30. 06. 2023
- Steve and Marie Nygren bought a farm 25 minutes out of Atlanta, GA for their family to enjoy, but as rampant, unstructured development nipped at the heels of the surrounding land, Steve went on a long, tireless journey to figure out the best models to develop land responsibly while saving the majority as farm, field or forest. He realized that the key to conservation-at least in that area-could be through responsible development-and began looking at all the key qualities that would make an area enjoyable to live and interact with. He later turned his family's 900-acre farm into a biophilic community and convinced hundreds of local landowners to found a new city over 40,000 acres. This is Serenbe's story.
To find out more about the community, check out www.serenbe.com/
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The conundrum with Serenbe is how do you translate this type of place to the other 99% that aren't rich (& what appeared to be mostly white). When you look at Serenbe real estate, the cheapest rental is a 1 bed, 1 bath, 700 SF studio for $2,100/month. The cheapest LAND is 0.18 acre for $375,000 (more than most can afford for an actual house). Cheapest condo $665,000. Cheapest townhome $700,000. Cheapest house $900,000. How do we create community that isn't nature's playground for the rich and privileged? How do we make this way of living attainable for the rest of us?
That is definitely a challenge-and a topic that was brought up in conversation, for which Steve discussed in the film. The internal conflict I have with this is the following: It's A LOT to ask of one person-or even a group of people-to solve a range of large-scale social issues when they are already doing something that is insurmountably challenging-something that most people could or would never even think of attempting. Even in a business, if you try to solve many, many problems at once-the business will often fail. I think he was presented with an internal challenge that he cared about: "How do we conserve this land from being overrun with rampant urban sprawl? (the problem)" And through that, he engaged local stakeholders and found (a solution) through more responsible development. He didn't think "development" would be the answer initially, but it was what he could manage and what signs/people in the area were pointing to-even though the banks or investors didn't get behind him at first. As he shared, they had to really focus on getting transferrable development rights passed and executive housing at first, because there wasn't the tax dollars in the area to support an overall vision. I think if someone came in and was passionate about a different challenge-say, "How can we house the unhoused or how can we house lower income folks?" -then the approach may be wildly different. But trying to solve both of those big issues at once, for example, is so very challenging for any one individual, that nothing may get done. But your point, as you lay it out, is a good one and it's on a lot of people's minds. This was the first time I heard about transferrable development rights, which I think could be a key in aiding in conservation and better land use. Additionally, if someone were trying to solve the second issue-"how do we house the unhoused?" or "how do we create starter homes for low or middle income families?" then perhaps it can be a combination of state funding (if available) and models like community land trusts. Because someone would have to pay for it with the way our system runs on economics. On the latter, we've sought out some CLTs, but haven't really found a good one in the area that feels "complete". If anyone has leads, let us know. We would be interested in potentially doing a film on that model.
â@@FlockFingerLakesThanks for taking the time to respond to this comment (and of course, the time to make this video!). If you find it in you to make an episode specifically about this issue/environmental justice in general, we'd love to see it.
@@FlockFingerLakesThank you for responding & for putting in perspective! It helped me think about the issue in a different way!
What the hell does whiteness have to do with it? Would this all be fine if the Obamas had a house here? The fundamental issue is that wealth is central to the model as he explained when discussing the tax base it takes to find ambulances and other services.
@@WinstonSmithGPT maybe a better question is why are you so triggered by someone else briefly mentioning the apparent lack of racial diversity here? It was a valid observation, especially considering some of this community's residents were alive when explicit segregation was still legal in Georgia. Their comment was predominantly about wealth inequality, not race.
My heart is just exploding with joy after watching this! This IS the way it should be! â€ïž
Itâs amazing to see how many people have come together and had the vision to do this đ
excellent way of saying it, I couldn't find the right words! Just awe-inspiring and give me some hope!
wow what an amazing community, this is how neighbourhoods should be built. So many awesome ideas, concepts brought together that benefit everyone in the city. It doesn't even feel like a city, it looks like a little village.
It is a little village. Only 1000 people.
Serenbe is a series of hamlets and villages on 900 acres. However, they are nestled into a greater city area called Chat Hills, which is the 40,000 acres.
To me, this is the perfect way to live. We need more places like this throughout the US....balancing our footprint, building homes, businesses and services with nature, with the emphasis on nature and respecting it. I would love to live there...if I could afford it. So much careful thought went into this. Thank you for showcasing this beautiful community!
The biggest challenge to keeping a great community is keeping the criminals out and holding them accountable and good conservative values and believing in God
I'd love to live there. Wonderful enduring model. I love that they don't have lawns in those homes that are close together - so no need for loud polluting lawnmowers.
I was a interiors designer for 20 years. Covid hit and I took a look at what I really wanted to do. Iâm going back to school to get my landscape architect degree in my second half of life. This is the kind of work I want to do. Thank you for sharing this.
â€your project! Have fun! I wish much of your future plans come true!
So inspirational to see a community flourishing in
the modern world on sustainable and biophilic principles. I am filled with hope. Amazing video. Thank you, Summer and Saunder.
You're most welcome. This has inspired other communities like this to form in the area.
I can see Summer's brain taking notes "implement this on Flock" and "not this part". LOVED how you focused on housing affordability for the young, keep it up!!!
Absolutely ! I see her thinking too â€
We're very interested in these innovative models. And think it's important to share with folks different ways of living and how people-like Steve-have gone about enacting solutions to a problem-in this case, urban sprawl. Because of their move in this area and the action of putting transferrable development rights in place, others are starting to build that way in and around the area. Sometimes folks just need to see a blueprint to do the same or evolve how they think about / approach the world.
I met Steve Nygren many years ago when I accompanied a photographer friend who was doing some work for Serenbe.
He drive us around the property on a golf cart. We stopped at the Labyrinth that a group of friends had recently constructed. It was a cool fall day, misting a bit of rain. As we neared the center of the Labyrinth there was a beautiful Abalone shell, I heard a beautiful musical tone whispering through the trees. It was as if it were orchestrated for that moment. He talked about the inspiration for the Labyrinth which came from a visit to the cathedral in Chartes, France.
Steve exudes an energy I have rarely experienced in another human being. I would call it grace. When heâs talking to you or listening to you you feel his 100% attention. If the eyes are the window to the soul, Steve Nygren has one of the most peaceful and caring souls one could only hope to achieve in a life.
These kinds of communities give me hope for the future â€
Thank you for showing us this beautiful place. Dreams can come true and don't ever lose hope.
You're most welcome. Glad it hit a chord.
Developed a piece of land back in MA decades ago. The city wanted the units spread over the 150 acres. We proposed moving them all up to the front and saving over 100 acres of old growth Pines. They would not listen so I had to clear cut 100 acres of massive old pine.
This was inspiring & thought provoking. The exchange about the renter class & hope left me intensely curious about specifics on plans to address the issues and whether he really understands the problem. I mean, run the numbers, there is NO way for the Iowa student to purchase a home there and pay student loans on her own - something many rich people don't seem to be able to grasp. Homes without adequate cooling in GA aren't practical at all (as I see wet bulb temps today there). Exceptional people manage to accomplish things, certainly. MOST people aren't particularly exceptional, yet also deserve decent housing & communities. I look forward to seeing how people like Steve can show that Iowa student (and the rest of us) a path to hope.
I think the problem that the student brought up is a far more complex problem than many of us can even wrap our heads around, let alone Steve, who personally set out to deal with urban sprawl-and not necessarily the overall housing crisis (related, but two different problems, which may require different solutions). I mean, as of right now, $75 billion has gone to the war in Ukraine. Whether people agree that's a good use of our tax dollars + justifies the Fed printing money to reduce the value of the dollar and cause inflation, I think many folks could imagine ways that may be better spent on challenging societal issues here, like housing and development. Locking down during the pandemic shuttered 1/3 of businesses, which were often small and medium sized enterprises owned by a family, which could not open doors afterwards and went out of business, eliminating a safety net of income. There is a larger macro move to close down small, local banks and create one or a few larger banks and centralized digital currencies (and bail out large banks), which would potentially inhibit folks at a local level to get small loans or mortgages for homes and businesses. I saw another stat the other day that there are over 1 million AirBNBs available right now-double the amount of homes for sale in the United States. There's less incentive to sell than to rent. More and more billionaires are buying up cropland and it's harder and harder for people who want to live to farm and farm to live. The cost of universities have skyrocketed disproportionately that it sets up borrowers for a lifetime of debt. These are just some examples. And these are larger issues than any one person can tackle in one lifetime. But perhaps, by looking at some of the (perhaps imperfect) solutions out there, we can find answers.
@@FlockFingerLakes - I couldn't agree more, or be more concerned, on all of the above. Of course there are some answers in the idyllic splendor of Serenbe. I'm glad to have seen it featured and look forward to seeing other communities with great ideas like geothermal, mixed ages , free range kids, healthy food production, etc. I chucked thinking of the volunteer fire & rescue squads we had growing up in our towns appearing at Serenbe, staffed with executive class volunteers on call - glad that they have a professional fire dept. We are going to need lots more similar, yet inclusive, communities in areas less prone to increasingly common wet bulb conditions. I continue to be surprised that so many of those in the executive class (mere millionaires) are still defensive when presented with the increasingly dour realities of 21st century US life (let alone the rest of the world, which must be taken into account as they urgently migrate in previously unimaginable numbers). Shaming someone who's realistically lost hope is arrogant, cruel and a heartsick reminder of a willful obtuseness prevalent in the comfortable & powerful - one can only hope that the obtuseness rapidly fades. Despair isn't going to lift with a "just say no" finger wagging quip - ask anyone in recovery, with a sour Sunday school memory, or through bad luck living in their car or on the street. It was bold of you not to edit that bit out. Your own collective endeavor is a model I'm always thrilled to see as you all navigate the possibilities while you explore solutions & show them to us so beautifully & abundantly. Your channel is a gem.
Thanks for sharing a new/old approach to living. There are lots of folks with vision, but few bring them to fruition.
That is for damn sure!
WOW! This is probably my favorite video you have produced. I would love to see more communities like this. I am from Endicott NY but now live in NJ metro area. I would love to see more communities like this being develeoped across the country. Thank you, Summer!
U-E!
@@nofearnow8190 UE Tiger, class of 94
Glad you found this video inspirational. This was the first community like this we found at scale, but it's inspiring other communities around the area as well. And the new zoning laws have actually encouraged more folks / developers to build this way.
â@@FlockFingerLakesThis is a great feature, it represents the model advanced by the 1992 and 2001 New Jersey State Development and Redevelopment Plan, which I participated in researching and drafting with many high caliber experts from throughout the nation. Sadly there are too few real life examples - yet. We just had our National Planning Conference in Philadelphia and our New Jersey Panning Conference
Would you or Mr Nygren be interested in presenting this in New Jersey next spring? - Bob Kull, AICP/PP.
You should feel reach out to Serenbe for a presentation. I would not be equipped for presenting, as we are merely the folks who held the camera and asked questions here. But you can play the video at the conference, if you feel as if that will be useful.
This is an amazing thing they're doing, but wow it takes a lot of privilege to be able to live there
Agreed! Thatâs probably because it was a private enterprise. Development of affordable housing is a non profit proposition.
@@LCamp-cr7fs and @oatradia We'd be interested in covering more models like CLTs, for instance, so if anyone has any good leads, particularly around the New York or Pennsylvania region, let us know. Our initial lead out of Binghamton wasn't really a good one.
This is just greenwashing a wealthy exurb. Sure it's better than the standard suburban sprawl but it's not scalable and it's still destructive greenfield development.
I like that they are tying something new and trying to incentive community creation in order to make it a place that people would want to live and a model that others want to emulate, thereby making this a more affordable option for more people as more pop up⊠thatâs how things normally work. Cutting edge thinking isnât always affordable in the beginning but these are the trailblazers who are fighting for accessibility ultimately by this work. I donât see the concept of privilege as something tainting this effort. These people may be privileged but they are making an effort to give back and include rather than insulate from other less privileged people.
@@kassgarr5722 Quite frankly I am sick and tired of the overused and misused word Privileged. It is tantamount to the overuse of Hero! A Welfare recipient in this country is more privileged than 60% or more of the world population. It is a leftist Construct used to divide people and to denigrate those that worked hard to educated and better themselves.
This was amazing to see. Congrats to Steve and his family for thinking win-win!
Thanks for sharing, More inspiration for my dream. This environment need to grow across the world. Always a great video â€.#United
Just fabulous. So right, just the way to bring up new future generations.
I really enjoy your long-form content, the tours and conversations. Will you feature this community in more detail?
If they make time for us and we're able to get down there again-absolutely. I had a layover in Atlanta, so I thought I'd use that to see how Serenbe has progressed since I was there last. (When I was there last it was only 700 people).
This man is incredibly wise. We need his voice right now.
Steve and family are Leading the way forward, Love it
Very inspirational; I hope you go back in 5 years and see if they are able to add housing that is more accessible for folks of modest means.
Thank you Flock for sharing this incredibly moving and inspiring place and vision - *please* do more in depth videos on Steve and this blueprint-for-the-future community!!!
Thanks! If we can make our way down there again, we will try to arrange.
I really enjoyed this show.... there is a lot to absorb. It gives us a look at what is possible...
Thank you for shining light on this place - it is such an inspiration! And it does stir hope that it might be possible to create new ways of living which are life giving and sustaining for all. I have held a quiet dream for years of building homes differently and creating a village of some sort, and this video gives me so much more to think about. Also excited to find your channel! Now I know there are others walking this path.
Yes!
So good to see this in reality.
It's how we all should live and be allowed to live.
Too bad that it's out of most of our price range.
But thanks for showing us that it can be done.
At least by and for some.
I can connect with this gentleman in so many different ways!
Glad he's touched a chord for you.
I would adore if you could visit and speak with people who are protesting Cop City (also outside of Atlanta), as it is a group of low-income locals working to protect a forest. It's basically the oppostie of this, people with no privilege or generational wealth working to protect the nature in their community.
Sure they are.
A beautiful and thoughtful design! Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful interview. It will give many hope and inspiration on how to build better communities. đ€đđ€
I remember in the early nineties a graduate school professor in urban planning telling us that were being too utopian. Our vision was not going to work - and here it is! Great conversation and biophillic to the max!
Excellent, this is what this country needs. Great presentation and love Flock videos.
Excellent. Thank you for this informative interview and tour.
Our pleasure!
Amazing, loved every minute of this. I would absolutely love to live there. The model is very typical of English villages which are idilic but unaffordable for most. Thank you for this video makes me think what is important, for me a big expensive house means nothing if i cant afford to enjoy day to day life because im a slave to a mortgage.
A tiny home on some average will suffice.
very good thoughts all the way around.
This is an amazing effort and a super cool community. The system isn't really practically scalable, imo. But hopefully, it inspires new, more accessible versions of this type of system. Of course, this community relies on capitalism, not government regulation, but government regulation would be required for a version that incorporates people with less buying power, imo.
I love the idea⊠I just wish it werenât so elitist. When he scoffed at the line of questioning/lack of hope from the high schooler he became something else entirely. I grew suspicious of the statue of a âman and a woman coming together, their joined legs being a central pillar.â At that point, I began to suspect a sweetly scented rot.
How I took his point with the high schooler was more on shifting one's attitude. If you believe you can't, then you won't. If you believe you can, then you will, which I felt was the theme of the entire interview with him. It doesn't mean that the road may be easier (than say, one's parents' generation), but that means one may need to be more tenacious, more motivated, more creative, more open to doing something a little different or be more active in their own lives/governments to enact change. (Case in point when I shared my father-a truck driver with no more than a high school education-was able to buy a house in his 20s and raise a family on his truck driving budget....Something not as easily done now-hence a new model (e.g., my friends and I bought land as a group), which is a solution but not the only one....) If Steve believed he could do nothing about urban sprawl (aside for just complaining-which is the easiest thing anyone can do)-then he may have never had conversations with his neighbors or the town, transformed his farm -or the surrounding area at that. Personally, I think it's admirable and inspirational that he wanted to start something on his own land, in his own space to combat something as large and as unwieldy as urban sprawl. I don't know many people who would do that. For instance, are many people opening up their own rooms, own homes, own lands to do something like this? If so, then share those models of how one is going about that! It's super easy for all of us to be hypercritical of someone trying to go outside their comfort zones to solve any large scale societal issue and expect that THEY should also address every other large scale societal issue, but perhaps we all need to be more hypercritical of our own selves and see how we can address what we're passionate about in our own lives.
Theyre right you guys! After countless people 'complaining' about the realities of this being a nice thought but never a poor persons reality the answer has obviously been to pull yourself up by your bootstraps all along, so its not their problem youre poor. đ Obviously the problem is that the people who keep our society running, dont work hard enough ofc! Seriously though, the moral here is, uplift your own communities, because rich people (including many petit bourgeoisie like this channel, going to bat for one rich man and not the people watching, who pay their bills?)
would rather spit on you than open their arms to help. As the capitalists mantra goes "fuck all yall, i got mine"
Ms Oakes, your videos are so good...I can't even get to work....LOL...Great Work and Very Well Done. Mr. Nygren makes me wish I could turn the clock back and build what he and all his folks were able to do. Well Done
Glad you find value in the videos-even if it keeps you from work now and again!
Thank you for showcasing the re leaders the re pioneers on how living in alignment is
This is incredible. My mission in a few years is to work with existing subdivisions and innercity developments to create self austained communities from what already exists. Meaning creating food farms, water, solar, and other forma of power, internet, and water from within each community of homes and even including close by communities. I similarly want to work with mostly visionaries and inventors and few scholarly and government people whose imaginations and solution systems are restricted.
Thank you for this beautiful video and to Steve for following his pull to make a better world with earth.
itâs so peaceful and relaxing but $$$$ to live there
Yes, it's not inexpensive. It was interesting to hear his answer to the approach towards the end and that he found that executive housing is really the first step in order to get others onboard, including the banks.
So lovely and inspirational, but I would never be able to afford to live there. Wouldnât it be nice to have a community with smaller homes like this. Itâs not like they are in an expensive area.
I know itâs possible to develop an area in this way but money is an issue for many. Perhaps alternative building materials like earth bag building where owners can get permitted to use them would make it more attainable.
If you don't have affordable housing, how will the people who work in the school and restaurant and stores and commercial centers as well as maintenance afford to live?
How diverse is the population of the city? Is there affordable housing? Is there a healthcare center?
this was such a great watch! loved listening to yall convo, touched on so many great things
Just so impress with the desire to stick with the need of human connection. It takes conviction to continue on a vision that helps the human condition. HOPE is necessary.
Very interesting concept for a community plan and such a beautifully designed area ! Thanx for sharing !
I wish town's could see past their greed and develop areas like this ..love to see greenspace instead of nothing...this will be the difference between rich and poor..land for the rich and nothing for the poor
I think it sometimes too easy to just say the root cause is "greed" on all accounts. For instance, we live in and near towns where there is no zoning, which many equate to "freedom" more than it does to "greed". When there is no zoning, people are able to develop and do what they will, without a "master plan"...So in sum, you can cut down all your trees if you want. And your neighbor can choose to keep them all. We're more akin to look at our own individual lots and not get involved with other neighbors or on larger scale issues that are far more complex because it's time-consuming, challenging, too much for one person to bear, etc.. For instance, at town boards, almost no one from the public comes; it's easier for all of us to be armchair complainers then doers. I suspect that if you had a more engaged group of people who care specifically on certain topics, then we would have more sensible ways of development, for example. Or more sensible ways to solve any problem.
@@FlockFingerLakes I agree 100%
California has something similar, I think called village homes. It was built 30 or so years ago on a much smaller scale.
Very cool. So glad you shared this. Iâm curious but there didnât seem to be any traditional lawns in the housing developments. Iâm guessing but wondering do they not allow traditional lawns? If so thatâs great. Just wondering.
I can't answer you personally about the lawns, but I do know that some people do have them. It really depends on the size lot that people get. I think most folks may want to fill out their lot more with house than anything, but the larger lots do have lawns. And there are lawns in the public areas, where there are parks and play areas for kids, for instance.
Y'know, if you want to live on your own house with acres and acres around you for the sake of aesthetics, you can buy a ranch. But then you have to pay property taxes, and the more development that happens around you, the more demand there is for housing, the more valuable the land gets, and those taxes get super expensive. So what do you do? You create a non-profit "charity" that "conserves" the land but doesn't have to pay taxes! And presto, you get to live in your house surrounded by acres and acres of undeveloped land forever.
An incredible place and ambient. the wise and experience!!!!!!!
It would be cool if you covered community land trusts. This is someone who is rich purchasing land and creating a real estate development. Community land trusts are great for the working class and centres farmers. donât feel like a high income gated community living as this one.
We have been looking to highlight a CLT in the area of the Finger Lakes, but couldn't locate one. There is supposed to be one developing in Binghamton, but it was more of a red herring. If you know of any in the area, please let us know. We have highlighted the agrarian trust model on this channel, though not as compelling as it was a zoom interview: czcams.com/video/94iY4xqyCIA/video.html
15:05 he is spot on about how professionals and academics too i have to say really think and operate within a limiting box of status quo and then they come up with smth they think is groundbreaking and youre there like oh that was the first evolution of my idea ive expanded and gone deeper since that brain fart
such a great issue, so inspiring!
What a beautiful place.
This looks great! Is it just for the lucky few $ or also for people who can just pay lower rental prices?
I would suggest you "re listen " . I would also like to say , living a good life has nothing to do with luck or anything to do with renting . A good life comes decision and attitude .
I went to the website and looked at the price of a one night visit: $850
I want this to be our future not community developmental neighborhoods (if that makes sense)
Obviously this is consumption for the very rich. Itâs the perfect home for an ESG find manager at Goldman. However itâs fine to look at the artistry of what the rich do, if your goal is eventually to democratize it. There seems to be almost no serious economic activity here and thatâs the challenge. Agrarian lifestyles in global markets are hard to sustain.
Steve mentioned that they are behind in some of their commercial space development, and some folks living there, would like to ideally have more or different commercial spaces. The folks who run those commercial spaces both live in and out of Serenbe. Really depends on the business. But his challenge was to combat urban sprawl. The challenge of creating town centers or a -let's say-self-sustaining town-is an entirely different challenge and probably would require slightly different models of approaches. The reality is many or our villages, towns, and neighborhoods in the US have no serious economic activity, and so it's something for all of us to resolve-and not just someone like Steve.
@@FlockFingerLakesit seems like the place where an individual can have the greatest impact is wherever existing forces of growth can be channeled and shepherded into new directions.
These days you need a half a million dollars just to have a plain Jane house. The house I am renting , if I were to buy it it's worth 400,000 dollars and it isn't very nice. Not many people make enough money to be able to afford to buy a house. I took offense. I am a renter and people ask me all the time, why I would take such good care of something that isn't mine. I have the attitude that if everyone would do the same the world would heal from all the destruction. Most people today will walk on your plants and they don't even know they did something wrong. Today's society have no clue about nature,plants and animals.
wow. this is what real planning looks like! thanks for the great interview and video. i have many positive things to say about this whole project. My only concern is how will they make sure the farming parts of the community keep going? if you bring in a bunch of well-off people from the city who want to live near a forest, they aren't necessarily going to want to become farmers. It seems like the houses near the farms should be reserved for the people doing the actual farm work, and then keep all the produce mostly local. Maybe use the HOA dues to pay the farm-hands, it would be a great job for teenagers and young adults living in the community as well. It would also be an incredible place to have a work-study program for students from overseas interested in urban planning. Also, how can we get this done on a local level without waiting for the rare wealthy business owner to get "inspired" and make it happen?
I think that regardless of where the idea originates it depends on people who understand and support the principle. It only works when residents use local services and products and build a community.
That's true. Not everyone who wants to live there wants to get their hands dirty. I didn't ask how the farm was funded; but he did mention that the Art Farm was funded through the sales and resales of plots and homes, which generate $1MM annually. Perhaps the upkeep of the farm is funded similarly or ends up being a business/maintenance expense. Or perhaps it's partially funded on CSAs and sales directly to the community and surrounding community (people from the surrounding communities also visit Serenbe, and actually MET two of our viewers down there from our 'Plant One On Me' channel who just so happened to be having some lunch at the Blue Eyed Daisy while we were filming in the golf cart).
They used to have these in the south....
I'm very lucky, I was able to inherent $15,000 from my grandfather. I made the hard choice to be and remain homeless while I work so that I can save money instead of all my money going to rent. I saved another $15,000 this way.
I still can't afford a downpayment on anything near the community that is vital to my survival. That's just criminal.
Im 31 and I cant even buy a house to live in. Most of my peers are $15,000 in debt, they have 0 hope
what a breathtaking display of a lack of self-awareness. this man and his friends with their fiefdoms are literally the source of the problem.
his response to the University of Iowa student was reprehensible but served to expose his true mind and heart. this is not the type of person we want in charge of anything related to young people.
I must say, though, that I am thankful to have learned the term "executive housing." is that a spin on the term "master's house"?
Your âmindsetâ can and often does determine your outcome. I am glad he had the courage to stand up to her & help her see that she has control of her destiny. Kids her age with no college but discipline & determination are making bank on CZcams or other side hustles.
This man is certainly doing Gods work! He is a genius! A life well lived! Thank you for sharing your thoughts and ideas. It makes all the difference!
cool, let's develop more places like this!
Nice paradise!!!!
Love this keep up the good work much love and prayersđȘđđœđ
â€this! Gives me hope.
Glad it does. Thanks for taking the time to watch and listen and absorb.
Looks lovely hopefully it's not car dependent.
Would love to see a non car-dependent town develop in the United States. Even ones with great public transportation have a lot of cars.
Steve for president
Good talk.
Thanks for sharingđ» Green spaces are Best! But, It's Missing Key Component...on site Completely Self- Powered ...by the Sun! đ Sad with all the financial ability of owners to integrate it originally... it's Not Sustainable...yetđ Solar, get it ONđĄđœ
Iâd vote for him for president đ
Amazingâ€â€â€
... if that old white farmhouse could talk... a historic plaque, stating it's history would be enlightening. âš Maybe one is there already. âš The whole project gives hope, if one allows it to happen.
Serendipity!!â€
Ba-dom-chick!
excellent .... mahalo ..... carry on
Amazing visionary.
Really fascinating place. Interesting that he mentions modelling it on English villages. The issue we have here is that they are rather elitist and younger folks are priced out.
Also transport is an issue in our villages. I notice lots of golf carts but still lots of big SUVs. Itâs a shame to see those still rule in somewhere so idilic and beautiful.
I wonder if they do much to encourage cycling and if there are off road routes connecting the schools, work areas, retail, recreation etc.
Kids need independent play but independent transport is important too.
In regards to the pricing challenge, maybe folks may need to turn to models like what they have in Vienna where there is the Tenancy Act and they have a lot of good social housing. That, however, needs to often have the will of governments, (which means the will of the people to a certain extent), and would be a different challenge to solve from urban sprawl, though the two can be interrelated... We brought up the cars, and whether they had thought about maybe doing a public transport system within Serenbe. It didn't seem to be a topic because people want their cars to come and go. They do encourage golf carts instead of cars, and from being there twice now, the entire place is walkable, bikable, and horse-ridable-all of which is encouraged.
Thatâs good to know about the option to walk or ride.
Thereâs definitely some good examples of social housing in Europe. The building regulations help that we can add smaller, affordable homes pretty much anywhere.
It would be good if we could reduce the price of existing housing too though. Itâs a difficult balance for any small residential area.
So we'll explained and thoughtful. As my mind was turning to thinking this is only for the rich, I was brought back to appreciating what expensive homes can bring to a community.
I shared this with another person commenting here, but I think it's really valuable that one person set out to figure out a solution to a problem, which was urban sprawl. And though he didn't think becoming a developer on his own land was the initial solution, he came around to it through extensive conversations with people in and outside the community over many, many years. Most of us probably can't even imagine doing that; and the reality of solving many or all of the social injustices in one fell swoop and in one person's lifetime, is not necessarily realistic or maybe even fair to press onto a person. The Eco-Village, which we covered here in another video, wanted to develop more for middle class folks who wanted to live a more ecological lifestyle. So that was another problem-solution. And the Agrarian Trust, which we also highlighted here, wanted to address the fact that farmers can't get access to farm land due to its expense and set up a hybrid model for that. We would totally be interested in highlighting some models that focus on lower-income folks. Perhaps like a CLT model. But we haven't found that-at least not around here. We thought we had a lead in Binghamton, but it wound up as a red herring. So if any folks have leads in the Finger Lakes, let us know!
This is quaint, but it's simply not a solution to suburban sprawl. Density that 20% more than metro Atlanta at around 3800/sqmi? That's stil a horrible suburban density. We need 5x that not a measly 20%.
Europe is also a terrible model. They have a worse housing crises than we do bc they have too strictly adhered to that model and the 70% ag is an environmental disaster of staggering proportions there.
We need to be looking at ecodistricts in Germany where you get 30 dwelling units per acre instead of the suburban 7 per acre you have here. For this development to be a model you would need to swap out all those two story low rise buildings for 6 story mass timber passivhaus buildings.
Only people with a lot of resources, financial and/or business income could conceivably hope to live in this "dream" community. Where's the "dream" for retired and low-wage earners to live in safe, simple, and affordable intentional communities? Where is the will and generosity of 'those who have" to share with the "have-nots'? I know as a 65 year old retired person on Social Security, the US has priced me out entirely. l went to central Mexico and found I could live in dignity and community in a mid-size city.Which is really a shame for seniors who can't relocate for health and family reasons.
Nice town for the rich, but were do the workers live? They must commute from that nearby city, where children have to apply for the lunch program. I doubt there is public transportation so the working poor can commute.
amazing man
Obvious aesthetic appeal aside, the key lesson here is to start with a viable economic model. What heâs done is basically a 21st century version of a luxury golfing community, designed for people who want to engage in a sort of deluxe agrarian cosplay. Money is made elsewhere, spent here.
So youâre back to the fundamental question. How so you generate income for multiple people in upstate New York? The canal isnât significant anymore. The waves of Italian immigrants who followed the thruway to small factory jobs moved on. Cornell only employs so many people. Many small towns have been flooded with gangs and felons from downstate. The situation here reminds me of the many chateau channels that took off during COVID featuring people who moved to rural France to restore a beautiful old estate and are now reliant on CZcams and weddings to keep the lights on.
New York has an absolutely terrible and unspeakably corrupt government but I think a few studies have been commissioned about this problem if you can ever find them.
Well I think the challenge he personally wanted to resolve is how to create an alternative model to urban sprawl in and around Atlanta, GA. And by engaging landowners across 40,000 acres, he was able to work out the transferrable development rights model so that those who owned land, could get monetary value while still conserving its agrarian or forest ecosystem without causing rampant development. And then in order to encourage investment in the area, he had to convince banks that folks like to live around green space. His fundamental question was not necessarily how to generate income for multiple people in upstate New York, which is an entirely different challenge, which may require different approaches and models, but there's a lot to glean from the conversation that may be able to be applied in that way. The TDR model was the first I heard and seems very interesting, for example. In regards to people running wedding venues, or a CZcams channel, or B&B-those are all viable options for folks, and I would imagine there are folks who WANT to do those things as opposed to just 'having' to do it like it's just any other j.o.b. There are more 'work from home' opportunities now than probably any other time in history; more "side hustles" that folks can do; and god knows anywhere you go in this area-there are people hiring, hiring, hiring, and hiring. There could be more emphasis on tradespeople and vocational training IMO. We have, perhaps, discouraged younger generations to work in the trades, like construction, electrician, plumbing, etc. but everyone and their mother are hiring in those fields and it's damn good money (in general).
@@FlockFingerLakesI am in total agreement regarding the inexcusable neglect of the trades. Lack of tradespeople is so severe it is hampering economic growth generally. Success depends on more than just artisanal or laptop jobs.
Youâre right that he was looking for a superior development solution for metro Atlanta. He didnât have to start with inventing Atlanta. New York outside of the city muddles along and today there are pockets of activity but I would like to see the country revert to what it was when I was little. No one thought the future belonged only to New York, Boston, Silicon Valley and a few other urban areas with the rest of the country doomed to depopulation and decline. Cities towns and farms all thrived more equally giving people more choices of lifestyle and less vicious competition for increasingly scarce and expensive housing.
There are entire virtual ghost towns in New York State Iâd love to see someone revive. Gorgeous architecture all going to seed. More rural districts surrounding small dense downtowns with lots of shops, yet everything is still in walking distance to a cow.
Best ever, May Flock Finger Lakes, GROW,
SSJ .....
You can Do It
Summer above a Chicken Coop
Sander above the Tool shed.
and Joey in the Best place for Pictures and a Tree House
Smaller the Foot print, Bigger the advantages
You Guys Rule
Love and Rainbows
Did they connect with the indigenous people whose land theyâve built upon? Is this space predominantly white and moneyed? Because thatâs not community, thatâs colonization.
Unfortunately , the indigenous people were moved out of the eastern USA 200 years ago.
From the conversation, Steve engaged with the current landowners across the 40,000 acres. But I would be interested to hear how you would approach that (or how you have approached engaging with indigenous peoples in the region / land where you live), so that others can learn from your experience.
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@@FlockFingerLakes: I am so impressed with your responses to various comments. Always positive, thoughtful, and respectful. Thank you. Genuine, respectful conversation seems to be a lost art.
What is this renter bigotry? Renters all over the world are valuable long term parts of their community. The notion that a sense of place or community requires homeownership grew out of suburban racial and class segregation over the last century. This is shameful.
i wish i could get my little town to embrace this idea. all i have been able to do for now is to setup my little orchard oasis and get some of my neighbors interested in living a bit more in balance with nature. sadly my little beautiful town has been invaded by california retirees who run away from the horrible city life they had and bring all their problems with them because they still do not see that they were the problem where they lived before and that has not changed.
Very expensive when you live on a fixed income
hey summer, whatâs the music that plays at 9:00
It's called "Everything is fine for now"
đ€AWESOMEđ€
at min 11'15 I think you mean year "2000"
Yes, thank you.
There is a fine line from a "nice community" and a cult. Im sure they fine pick who gets to live there.
This was a cool video, but I completely disagree with the gentleman's whole take that the younger generation just has a negative attitude. It positively reeks of the privileged boomer mentality.
Homeownership is completely unattainable for most working-class people entering the market now. Hell, even renting is completely inaccessible at this point in most of the country.
Capitalism and the sacred cow of "the Market" are literally killing us. If the younger generation can maintain a can-do attitude about seizing the means of production, dismantling the capitalist machine, overthrowing the entire system, and rebuilding it from the ground up to see to the needs of the common people, things might be doable. In the current system, there is essentially ZERO hope for improvement. If you are not starting from a position of profound privilege, you're doomed... and you're not going to positive-attitude, good vibes, pray, bootstrap, or personal finance your way out of it.
"People in Europe don't live in these big houses" Yeah. We don't. And we still can't even afford our small placesđ
As he shared in the video-it's a global issue. Not sure how to solve / resolve it but interested in innovative models around the topic. Perhaps we'll have to eventually make a trip out to Vienna since they seem to have some solutions! But we purchased land as a group of friends, for instance, so that we can share in the cost, but that's not available to everyone either.
I noticed that he didnât really answer your question about how to approach something like this with less resources. Myself and a few friends have been researching how to start a small community. The price of land is so high, itâs a little discouraging. Serenbe is is a beautiful model of how communities could be.
Thank you for making this video
@@princessruffledscoutIâve seen other people reach out to wealthy individuals with plans to turn the land into a farm, etc. If you can present a well researched and thought out business proposition, you might be able to find someone or some people to invest.
@@FlockFingerLakes I think you guys' case is definitely more achievable for the vast majority of people. It's very inspirational. đ
@@FlockFingerLakes You are right - I do live in Vienna (Austria) and "Gemeindebauten" are a great example of affordable and community living. The model isn't perfect but it houses a quater of all the citizens of Vienna and makes the city diverse.
Gosh is that an all white community? I just saw the pricing of the housing in this place.
"responsible development"
You have created an incredible place to live but not one atainable for all in the way it is built. However your idea of and sense of Community can be superimosed just about anywhere. So instead of being jealous why not carry this idea into where we are. Why can't your ideas be superimposed on communities of lesser incomes, smaller homes and apartments? Why can't inner cities be rethought out and re layed out to create this Biophillic concept. Empty lots become gardens, parks. old factories become food producing centers. Create a paradigm shift where monetary wealth is not the only thing of importance. Create a mind shift where people are happy and satisfied with who they are! There is nothing wrong with being blue collar or white collar. A truck driver, maid, waitress, cook, trash collector and on and on are as vital and important as the engineer, banker, Lawyer, Doctor etc. When any group of people come together they can change the richness of their lives by focusing on what is truly important. All of what you have created here is amazing now lets look at recreating it in other venues. Loved this presentation. Very commendable.